Garcetti says COVID-19 no longer needs appointments at Los Angeles city locations

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – As of next week, no more appointments will be needed to test the coronavirus at sites run by the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday.

The mayor added that people can still register in advance, but it will not be necessary to make an appointment.

“Just compare during normal operation Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and you’ll get the test,” Garcetti said. “To advance, you can register your information while you wait in line, you only need to bring your insurance information or your DNI if you do not have insurance.”

The announcement was made during an information session on the city’s response to the pandemic.

RELATED: More than 12,000 vaccine appointments in Los Angeles have been delayed due to the weather

Garcetti says the city has conducted more COVID-19 tests than there are in the city, with more than 4 million tests performed to date.

He also announced that the city will launch a new initiative called Mobile Outreach for Vaccine Equity, or MOVE, to expand mobile vaccinations to vulnerable areas of Los Angeles. It will put 10 mobile vaccination teams in the field by the end of next month and deploy them to high-risk areas.

Garcetti announced Thursday earlier that more than 12,000 vaccination appointments in Los Angeles scheduled for Friday will be postponed due to weather-related shipping delays as winter storms affect other parts of the country.

The city said the delays only affect the super sites, while vaccinations for the city’s mobile clinics will continue as planned.

City News Service contributed to this report.